‘Tragic Spain’ includes images of the worst floods. Deaths rose to 158.

Reuters news agency reported that the death toll from severe flooding in eastern Spain rose to 158 yesterday (October 31, 2024), as rescue teams continued to search for dozens more who were required.

On Tuesday, October 29, 2024 in some areas ofregion of Valencia (Valencia) There was heavy rain that lasted 8 hours, but the amount of rain was the same as the rain that fell throughout the year. This was the worst flood in modern Spanish history. And this could be one of the deadliest storms in Europe in more than 50 years.

Maria José Catala, Mayor of Valencia told reporters that rescuers found eight bodies, including a local police officer, stuck in a garage on the outskirts of Valencia.

Severe flooding caused by heavy rain in the Valencia region. in the eastern part of the country causing water to wash away the bridge and many buildings were damaged. Cars would pile up on top of each other on the highway. and flooding of agricultural fields in the region, which is an important area for growing oranges. Valencia produces two thirds of the country’s oranges. and made Spain the world’s largest exporter of oranges.

Townspeople in the area Those most affected described images of people climbing on top of their cars to escape the floods. As the brown streams rose and swept the streets. Both removed trees and eroded parts of the building and fell with the water.

Satellite images compare the city of Valencia covered in mud after the floods.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has previously promised that all damaged infrastructure will be restored. and he said through a television program that “For the citizens who are still looking for their loved ones right now. The whole country of Spain is crying for you.”

Apart from Valencia Flooding continues to occur in many areas of the country, especially inAndalucia (Andalusia) in the south, and weather forecasters warn that the situation could worsen. Because the storm is moving to the northeast.

The floods are the deadliest in Europe since 2021, when 185 people died in Germany. This is probably the worst flood in modern Spanish history. That’s because more people died than the floods in 1996 which killed 87 people in Biscas in the Pyrenees.

The scientists said that climate change is making extreme weather events more frequent. Meteorologists speculate that As the temperature of the Mediterranean Sea rises, it causes more water to evaporate, resulting in more intense rainfall than ever before.

“In the past, such an event only happened once every several decades. But now it happens more often. and caused more damage,” said Ernesto Rodriguez Camino, senior meteorologist. and members of the Spanish Meteorological Society said

Proof reading….Suree Silawong